Jammu, November 10
A technical hitch at the Janipur grid station disrupted electricity supply in several areas in the Jammu west constituency for nearly four hours today.

The power supply and subsequently, the water supply remained disrupted at New Plot, Sarwal, Rehari, Janipur, Lakad Mandi, High Court Ambedkar Nagar, Jawahar Nagar, Tali Morh, Indra Colony and Shant Nagar.

Sources said the grid station needs huge revamping of its infrastructure, but insufficient funds were leading to the delay in various projects. Due to poor maintenance, regular snags were being reported at the station which supplies power to half of the population of the city.

Though winters have set in and people are able to bear the long power cut, regular problems at the receiving and distribution station have become a norm now. During the summers, people were forced to spend their days and nights in the sweltering heat.

“The grid station is already overburdened and we have been demanding the construction of a new receiving station of 50 MVA at Janipur for the past many years, but to no avail,” said Sunil Dimple, president, Jammu West Assembly Movement (JWAM).

An official source said the Janipur grid station needs a massive repair of instruments and machinery, but there are no funds. “Till adequate money is not allotted, people will have to face problems. The Power development Department (PDD) is helpless,” said a senior officer on the condition of anonymity.

When contacted Superintending Engineer (SE) Distribution, AK Chibber said, “There was some technical fault which was repaired within hours. These things can happen when you run such a huge infrastructure.”

Chibber said the sub-station was being modernised and new devices were being installed for better operation. “Whatever funds we are receiving, they are being utilised. For setting up a new power station in Janipur, plans are being formulated,” he said.

It is pertinent to mention here that due to poor planning and red tapism, Jammu and Kashmir has only utilised 49 per cent of the funds made available by the Central Government under the Prime Minister’s Reconstruction Plan (PMRP) during the 11th Five Year plan 2007-12 for revamping the power sector.

Villagers protest against shortage of water in Rajouri on Sunday

Power Snag

• The Janipur grid station needs a massive repair of instruments and machinery, but there are no funds.
• The grid station is already overburdened and residents have been demanding the construction of a new receiving station of 50 MVA at Janipur for the past many years, but to no avail

Jammu, November 10
The National Mazdoor Conference (NMC) today urged Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to release the pending instalment of the Dearness Allowance (DA) at the earliest.

During a meeting held here, NMC president Subash Shastri appealed to the Chief Minister to take a decision in this regard at the next Cabinet meeting.

“There should be no hitch in the release of the amount, more so when other states have already released the 10 per cent DA instalment since long. An early decision in this regard will be a genuine measure to provide some relief to the government employees and pensioners,” Shastri said.

The DA slab is due since July. The NMC leader also called for merger of DA with the basic pay.

“AS per the recommendations of the 4th Pay Commission, as soon as the DA crosses 50 per cent mark, the Central Government is under obligation to merge 50 per cent DA into the basic pay/pension. The DA has already touched 90 per cent and therefore, 50 per cent of it should be merged into the basic pay/pension with retrospective effect,” he said.

He also called for grant of 20 per cent interim relief in favour of both the Centre and the state government employees and pensioners, release of salary of people working in the Integrated Watershed Development Programme, Phase II.

Shastri also demanded their immediate regularisation. He also insisted on enhancement of wages for daily wagers to Rs 10,000 per month, amendment in SRO 64, issuance of regularisation orders of 180 daily wagers working in the Rural Development Department, increase in medical allowance to Rs 1000 per month and release of the third instalment of the 6th Pay Commission arrears.

Rajan Babu Khajuria, Surrinder Kumar, Rakesh Padha, Anil Singh Salthia, Sham Lal, Sukhdev Singh and Barkat Ram also addressed the meeting.

Jammu, November 10
The bus stops in the city have been rendered useless despite major repair carried out by the Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) and other civic agencies, as public transport operators don’t halt at these designated spots.

While some of these stops have become resting place for the beggars, the remaining half have been encroached upon by the vendors.

“These sheds were constructed for the benefit of the commuters who use public transport. But they have become resting place for beggars,” Ranjana Charak, a student, said.

He, however, partly blamed people for the situation.

“People are also responsible for this. They do not wait at the bus stops,” he said.

While some passengers called for strict implementation of rules and imposition of fine on erring operators, the others said these sheds were constructed at wrong places and should be dismantled.

“Traffic police should take action against matador and bus operators, who break the rules. It should ensure they halt at designated stops. These sheds are for the benefit of passengers and authorities need to create awareness about them,” Nitesha, a student of law, said.

“The authorities should remove these matador stops. They are simply useless for us. No one is using them. Matadors also don’t stop there,” said Ranjit Singh, a businessman.

Jammu, November 10
The state authorities have been instructed to conduct awareness/orientation programmes in the educational institutions of the state to identify the special education needs (SENs) of the students with disability.

The directions were issued by the Department of Education of Groups with Special Needs (DEGSN) during its recently conducted survey.

“It is important to develop perspective and skills in all administrators, including school principals, for planning and executing programmes based on the philosophy of inclusion. Policymakers in states should be provided awareness/orientation programmes and guidelines for preparing detailed proposal, including all the components under the Inclusive Educations of the Disabled at Secondary Age Scheme (IEDSS),” a statement from the department said.

The DEGSN said the scheme could be strengthened by harnessing different innovative movements in the state. It stated that it was sometimes difficult for students with disability to walk up to school in difficult terrains like hilly areas of the state.

“The scheme of the IEDSS needs to be strenghthened by involving institutions like the State Council for Educational Research and Training (SCERT), District Institute of Education and Training (DIET) etc. IEDSS coordinators should be in constant touch with the institutions working in the area of special/inclusive education in their respective areas. This includes special schools and NGOs working in this area and located near the schools,” the department maintained.

The DEGSN further said the procedure of releasing funds to the educational institutions imparting education to the students with disability need to be made simpler by removing various levels. It said the process would be simpler if funds were directly released to schools implementing the scheme.

The department claimed that getting a disability certificate from the medical board was sometimes a nightmare for parents of children with disabilities. It recommended that admission, retention, getting support facilities, scholarships, and full participation of children in all aspects of education, should not be subject to any criteria based on assessment tests, judgement by professionals and experts, including psycho-medical certificates.

“No child with disabilities should be asked to produce certificates either for admission, examination, getting support facilities/scholarships, etc,” the DEGSN statement claimed.

Kupwara, November 10
Non-metered villages of Kupwara district are reeling under darkness since last evening. The power supply was snapped in the villages, including Ticker, Batergam, Gulgam, Hirri, Trehgam, Hayan and Kralpora, around 8pm last evening and restored around 3pm today only to be snapped again till 5 pm.

Consumers threatened to take to the streets in protest against erratic power if the supply was not restored to normal. They said they were made to pay power tariff in time but power was not supplied according to the curtailment schedule.

“What is the point in having a curtailment schedule in place when power is not supplied in accordance with the schedule. We are made to pay power bills in time but are faced with erratic power scenario. We will be forced to hold protests if the supply is not improved at the earliest,” said Nazir Ahmad, a resident of Batergam.

Residents of many villages of Handwara said the power was playing hide and seek with them. They said there were power cuts for hours even during the peak hours.

Consumers in Kupwara town also complained of frequent power outages.

“Even the metered areas are not spared and subjected to frequent power outages. The power department should do away with metering system or improve the power supply,” said Afaq Ahmad, a Kupwara resident.

Residents of Sogam, Darpora, Kalaroose and Andurgbugh, Drugmulla and Chowkibal falling under the jurisdiction of Kupwara Tehsil said the villages were reeling under severe power crisis.

Students said they were the worst suffers. “Our studies are badly affected due to grim power scenario. During night, power goes off for hours and in the absence of power, we are forced to study under candlelight,” said Altaf Ahmad, a Class XII student from Drugmulla, Kupwara.

Residents of Handwara town also complained of erratic power supply.

They said the power outages had become order of the day. “For one week, power is playing hide and seek in the evening and night hours. We visited the power division, Handwara, with a plea to improve the power supply but to no avail,” said Mohd Amin, a trader.

Consumers of some Lolab villages complained of low voltage. “The voltage is so low that we are forced to lit candles to illuminate a room. In spite of paying the power tariff in time, the power department continues to test our patience,” said Zahoor Ahmad of Darpora Lolab.

Chief Engineer, Power department, Kashmir, Bashir Ahmad Dar said, “The department is sparing no efforts to provide uninterrupted power supply to the consumers. I will look into the matter and the supply would be improved at the earliest.”

Jammu, November 10
The Border Security Force (BSF) on Saturday night foiled a smuggling bid in the Arnia sector of Jammu and recovered around two kilogram of heroine, estimated to cost Rs 10 crore in the international market.

Giving details, the BSF spokesperson in Jammu said: “During the Saturday night at 11 pm, BSF troops of the 193 Battalion observed two suspicious persons approaching the border fence from the Pakistan side. They were trying to throw something over the border fence.”

“BSF troops immediately got alerted and fired on the suspicious persons. On this, the persons fled back towards Pakistan, taking advantage of dense vegetation,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson said at the first light the whole area was thoroughly searched by the troops of the BSF and two packets, weighing one kilogram each, were recovered from the spot.

“The recovered substance on test, was found to be heroine. The cost of the seized heroine, in the international market is estimated to be Rs 10 crore,” he said, adding that the recovered substance has been handed over to the Narcotics Control Bureau.

Jammu, November 10
A Civil-military liaison conference (CMLC) will be held on November 12 at Nagrota. The conference will be chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, Deputy Chief Minister Tara Chand and Northern Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Sanjiv Chachra.

The CMLC is aimed at developing synergy and a better coordination between the civil administration and the Army. The Army is working along with the civil administration to maintain security, peace and well-being of the Awam in the state.

During the day-long conference, Civil and Defence officers are likely to dwell on issues pertaining to land, welfare of veterans (ex-servicemen), veer naris and training areas for soldiers.

The CMLC will be helpful in strengthening the working relationship between the Army and civil officials and assist in resolution of issues, some of which have been outstanding.

The last CMLC was hosted by the J&K Govt Administration at Jammu on September 2009. As is customary, this meeting is being hosted by the Army. In preparation for this meeting, Army authorities have already conducted a series of pre-meetings to finalise essential agenda points.

Jammu, November 10
Natrang presented ‘Zameen Ka Sawal’ a play in Hindi today at Natang Studio Theatre in its weekly theatre series, Sunday Theatre. The play has been written by Partap Sehgal and directed by Neeraj Kant. A hard hitting satire on the socio-political situation of the country touched the hearts of the audience.

The play ‘Zameen ka Sawal’ opens in a trial room where a high level committee is enquiring about a very grim incident where five people at different locations were killed by sending letter-bombs. ‘Ranganathan’ a very senior scientist is accused of the crime as all the evidence were against him. Initially he does not admit the crime but when given a false news that his only son is also killed in the same manner, he breaks and with a deep agony in the heart, he admits his crime which he had committed to take revenge from all those who were responsible for hurdles in his growth and promotion. Despite being the most talented and deserving scientist, he was denied a due promotion as it was granted to someone else who was close with the minister. This renders a harsh frustration in his mind, he asserts that only hard work and ability will take you nowhere in this system, where corruption and favoritism are deep-rooted. The play very brilliantly says that those who do not have approach and recommendation may not be given higher positions but it does not mean that they are not talented enough.

Natrang’s artists who performed in the play included Uplaksh Singh Kotwal, Ashwani Bali, Shivam Manhas, Sachin Saini, Mahikshit Singh Sambyal, Masood Qadir, Rishiv Prabhakar and Pankaj Verma. Lights were designed and operated by Neeraj Kant. Music was scored by Mohd. Yaseen. Sumeet Sharma coordinated the show and also did the presentations.

Kathua, November 10
Describing education as a key to bring positive development in any society, Minister of State for Cooperatives and Planning Dr Manohar Lal Sharma today said the government was taking several important steps to “bridge the gaps in the education infrastructure”.

The Minister was speaking after laying the foundation stone of two additional buildings of Government High School Mela in tehsil Hiranagar.

While a four room building will be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 33.91 lakh under the district plan, the other structure will be built up at an estimated cost of Rs 21.50 lakh under the Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan.

The Minister, on the occasion, said teaching fraternity has been entrusted with the responsibility to channelise the energies of the students towards nation building.

During his interaction with the students and teachers, he enquired about various teaching and learning practises. Later, he also distributed the certificates of appreciation among meritorious students of the school.

Jammu, November 8
The Jammu and Kashmir Batwal Welfare Association will celebrate 117th birthday of Guru Gyagi on February 14 next year.

Members of the Batwal Welfare Society addresses mediapersons in Jammu on Sunday. Tribune photo: Anand Sharma

The association has urged the state government to declare the birthday of the guru as a public holiday in Jammu district by issuing a notification in the official gazette. It also appealed to the state government to allot a suitable piece of land to the Batwal Community in the vicinity of Jammu for the construction of a Community Facility Hall.

Association president and former MLA Satpaul Lakhotra while addressing the mediapersons here today alleged that the government departments did not bother to take prompt action on the representations of the community members.

Lakhotra urged the Governor and Chief Minister to personally look into the matter. He said the Batwal community had not been given any representation in the J&K Legislative Council, District Development Boards or any other forum of the state government.

Jammu, November 10
The National Panthers Students Union (NPSU) today demanded establishment of the Gojri and Pahadi research centre at the earliest.

“The two languages and their speakers are facing discrimination due to the indifferent attitude of the coalition government,” NPSU state president Partap Singh Jamwal told mediapersons here.

Earlier in 2008, the then Governor of the state Lt Gen (Retd) SK Sinha, during a University Council meeting, had announced the establishment of the centres in Jammu and Kashmir.

Jamwal alleged that despite consistent demands made by the Rajouri unit of the students’ body in this regard nothing significant has been done so far.

He warned that the NPSU activists will launch a campaign against the government if it fails to establish the said centres at the earliest.

Katra, November 10
A special handloom expo-2013 ‘Magical Weaves’ was inaugurated at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Spiritual Growth Centre, Katra, by MLA Reasi Baldev Raj Sharma today.

The expo is being organised by the Directorate of Handlooms in collaboration with the Development Commissioner, Ministry of Textiles, Government of India, from November 10 to 27.

District Development Commissioner, Reasi, Dr Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, SSP M S Chauhan, additional SP Kulbir Singh, besides prominent personalities of Reasi, civil and police administration, officers and public in large number were present on the occasion.

In all, 42 cooperative societies, including 10 from Kashmir Division and three from handloom clusters, are participating in the special handloom expo. The expo aims at providing marketing opportunities to the handloom weavers and cooperative societies.

During the expo, handloom products are marketed at heavy discount for which department also provides reimbursement in the form of 10 per cent rebate claim on sales. Merchandising and marketing have been recognised as being central to the growth and development of the handloom sector.

Jammu, November 10
Minister for Housing Raman Bhalla today asked the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board (JKHB) to renovate and maintain the recreational parks in the housing colonies within the urban pockets of the state.

The Minister, during his tour of Channi Himmat here, told the Housing Board officials to personally monitor the ongoing projects in the housing colonies across the state.

Managing Director, JKHB, Ram Pal Sharma was also present on the occasion.

Bhalla, meanwhile, urged people to cooperate with the JKHB in maintaining the recreational parks in their respective colonies. He also told them not to put debris in and around these parks.

The Minister insisted that the government was committed to develop healthy environment in the urban cities by developing greener patches in the open spaces.

“The government is making all out effort to beautify the open spaces by developing walkways or recreational parks to make the city more appealing,” Bhalla said.

Jammu, November 10
The eves from Army Public School (APS), Bari Brahmana, will lock horns with their counterparts from Trikuta Club, while in the boys category, GHSS Bishnah, will clash with Pallanwala Club in finals of the Jammu District Volleyball Championship being played at the MA Stadium here.

In the semifinals, APS Bari Brahmana toppled Government College for Women, Gandhi Nagar, 3-2, while Trikuta Club drubbed the PG Department by an identical margin to fix a spot in the finals. Meanwhile in the boys’ category, the spikers from Government Higher Secondary School, Bishnah, got the better of Trikuta Club 3-1, while Pallanwala Club overcame the challenge of Pintoo Club, Akhnoor, 3-0. — TNS